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They win.
Over the Zeniths, that is. Ironically, just mere minutes ago a new threat has been revealed to her: Nemesis. A rogue…something, still beyond Aloy’s comprehension, but before she can reach the data sphere to learn more about that thing , airs are knocked out of her lungs and firegleam blurs her vision.
“You did it!” Beta exclaims, too loud on Aloy’s right ear, but her sister is embracing her so warmly that not returning will simply be a sin. So she does, and for now, it is enough. They win. Beta is back with her, and so does GAIA, securely contained inside the module just behind her. Nemesis can wait, she thinks as her eyes shut along with Beta’s tightening hold, which she mimics accordingly, allowing the comfort of the realization seeps into her aching muscles.
When Aloy opens them again, it is to welcome the sight of Erend, Zo, and Alva barging through the door Tilda had destroyed earlier, voices overlapping with each other. Their eyes locked with hers for a split second before sweeping around agape, astonished by the sleek, otherworldly structure of the open hall. Meanwhile, Sylens who appears next doesn’t even spare a glance at her, quietly veering towards the stairway and climbing them steadily towards the so-called ‘shuttle’. She follows his movement curiously, though she eventually gets distracted when Kotallo arrives in her peripheral vision.
They lock eyes, just like with the others. But unlike the rest, Kotallo’s hold hers longer. Long enough that she can see the blink-and-you-miss-it change in his expression. But Aloy doesn’t blink, so instead she takes in the sight of his face turning from wide-eyed panic? Anxiety? – into a relaxed one. The crease on his brows unwinds, and his shoulder sags, anothing sight she would’ve missed if not for the flow of the yellow feathers adorning his pauldron.
And then he smiles. Goddesses, he smiles, warm and welcoming, and it’s so rare that the air is suspended in her lungs, causing her breath to come out in a gasp. It must have been loud enough because Beta stirs and turns around to check the instigator. Her sister then smiles too – probably. Everything else is a blur when her eyes are focused on one person.
Beta detangles herself gently as Kotallo approaches them steadily, sheathing his weapon along the way. His eyes catch the sight of the charred Specter Prime and Tilda’s pod for a moment before he returns his gaze to Aloy, now with an intrigued frown.
“I know I said nothing about Tilda and the Zenith could surprise me anymore, but let’s just say I was wrong,” she provides the short summary. To be very honest, the reveal of Tilda’s intention still leaves an uneasy feeling in Aloy’s gut, but that is another story for another day. “Her vision never aligned with us. She left me no other choice.”
There is a flash of anger in Kotallo’s eyes, though his voice betrays it. “Good,” he replies calmly. He then pauses for a beat before adding in a lower tone, “Are you hurt?”
“No,” comes her standard answer. However, something in his face tells her that he’s expecting a genuine answer, so Aloy takes a deep breath and drops her shoulders. “Sore, tired, and kind of hungry. Other than that, I’m fine.” She takes one last glance to the only casualties in the room and sighs. “I just want to get out of here. I’ve had enough of these immortal aliens.”
Kotallo merely nods in response, but his gaze becomes warm, fondly even, though Aloy probably just imagines it. For a moment they simply stare at each other wordlessly, the others’ exchange around them muted into the background. On her part, his close presence is a comfort on its own, something she’s accepted and comes to cherish every time she returns to the Base, and it simply applies here as well. Between the looming threat of Nemesis and the last battle, it feels good to have Kotallo here, and he’s so close. Close enough that she ponders if she can just reach out and touch him, just to make sure he’s not hurt too. She’s done that before, more pragmatic than anything else, so it should be fine this time around too, right? Or maybe…Beta’s embrace was also comforting. What if…
“Does anyone else need a drink?”
There is a sudden weight on Aloy’s shoulders and her head immediately snaps to her right side, just in time to see the looming presence of Erend smirking at her before addressing Alva’s retort on his ale. Erend laughs, shaking her body in the process, and when she’s trying to find Kotallo again the marshal is already talking to Zo. Aloy cannot hear what the Utaru is saying over the bickering of drinks, but Zo is throwing a mournful gaze at the spear she’s gripping and Kotallo’s flesh hand comes to her shoulder in response, whispering something. It has Zo looking up to him with glassy eyes, and she returns the gesture, extending her own arm to his pauldron, and Aloy can make the ‘thank you’ forming on Zo’s mouth.
It all comes so easy, and just like the day she first saw Varl and Zo kissing from behind her shelter, Aloy feels a pang in her chest she cannot name.
“Come here you two.” Her attention is dragged away once again by Erend, who’s been swaying her from the attempt to pull Beta in with his free arm. Beta chuckles nervously but relents, and Aloy eventually joins the merriment upon seeing her sister’s awkward face almost smothered behind the Oseram’s thick clothing.
“What’s his deal?” Erend asks lowly, fixing his gaze to Sylens who’s still observing and scanning the shuttle with his Focus. “Is he gonna board that thing or what?”
“I don’t know,” Aloy answers truthfully. She may need to ask Sylens eventually, but that too will just have to wait.
“Well, I say we let him be. He can stare all he likes, because I’m leaving now for my ale. This place is giving me the creeps.” Erend shrugs and releases the sisters, already making his way towards GAIA’s module. “Hey, Kotallo, help me out with this?”
Aloy spares a smile with Beta as the men start hauling the module, allowing Zo and Alva to join the sisters before they make their way towards the exit. She’s half hoping that Sylens will simply follow along too, but when he’s not, Aloy knows that it’s about time she confronts the enigmatic man and excuses herself from the women in the front crowd before walking back to the open hall.
Erend, bless his strong arms, is still too focused on maneuvering the module through the stairway that he missed her passing him but Kotallo catches her eyes and a silent question appears through his alarmed frown. He even stops entirely on his track.
“His thirst for knowledge is dangerous, Aloy,” Kotallo quips as he takes a quick glance to the room they have left, easily referring to Sylens. She has to ignore the way her name sounds in his particular tone does things to her belly. “And whatever the Zenith have are still there for him to exploit.”
“I know, and I won’t let that happen,” Aloy promises. “Sylens is not a violent man. If anything, he’d rather have his own hands clean when it comes to that. But for all our sakes, I need to know his future intentions, at least before I let him go on his own business again.”
Kotallo stares at her with an unreadable expression for an extended second before sighing. “But if he tries anything,” he warns, voice dropping lower. “My blade shall be ready upon your call.”
If he is someone else, Aloy would’ve scoffed. Maybe add one remark or two about how she can handle things on her own, especially Sylens. But Kotallo is not anyone else so instead she smiles, in appreciation and deep gratitude for the offer and takes little to no time to consider her next action before executing it.
“I’ll catch up with you on the way.” She leans closer to him and the hand she raises comes in contact with something warm. Aloy doesn’t dare to check the exact location, only proceeds to give it a gentle squeeze before she can linger too long on the feeling of dried paint over sturdy muscles under her palm.
It may as well be a lifetime later that Kotallo nods and moves away, the magic dissipates and leaves her hand to fall naturally and back on her side. And as Aloy sucks in as much air as she can to temper the growing heat on her face and neck, she allows herself a stolen moment to grin, wide and unrestrained.
It was that easy after all.
***
Despite the darkening sky, Fall’s Edge is already looking greener with the blood choke and the blight now gone, and Aloy can clearly see how it has also improved the overall vibe of the settlement.
Their stay and subsequent more-than-adequate accommodation are courtesy of Kotallo, of course, but above all she’s delighted to find how the Lowlanders are more subjective in putting his ‘state’ against his status. Maimed or not, he is a marshal, and their respect for him is easily extended to his company of mixed tribespeople – so much that Arokkeh allows them to use an entire stilted wing atop one of the branching streams for their squad alone. That part of settlement is far enough from the main buildings, and the rising platform allows them to rest their Chargers underneath. It is a more than generous gift, despite at the cost of an impromptu parlay that requires immediate attention of the marshal.
“Alright, let’s see what they have for drinks,” Erend loudly announces after he’s done laying down the heavy module into one of the shelters to be occupied by Beta. “Anyone?” He opens both arms and fixes his gaze to Alva specifically, causing the Diviner to release a nervous sigh.
“I–okay, fine. But I’m not having too much tonight.” Alva fidgets for a second before joining Erend, making their way towards the center of Fall’s Edge. “And you should not get drunk too. I don’t think I’m strong enough to drag you if you, uh, collapse.”
Somewhere beside Aloy, Zo huffs as she too then walks towards the pair with a quick glance to the huntress. “I’ll keep an eye on them,” she vows with an amused smile. “Besides, I’ve heard so much of this Tenakth snack from Jaxx, so maybe now is the time to actually try it.”
Aloy chuckles. “Yeah, please do. And if you need help carrying more than one casualty, I’ll be on the Focus.”
With the Utaru leaving, she finally settles in with the immediate quietness that surrounds them, the sounds of jungle creatures and muffled chatters adding more to the serenity of the night. Aloy takes in a deep breath and closes her eyes for a good moment, allowing herself to simply be , without anything to mull over. It’s probably also for the best that Sylens went on his own, lonesome trip back there. She isn’t sure camping together with that man will bring anything but headache to everyone else.
“Hey, Beta, do you want to–” Aloy swallows the rest of her words at the sight of her sister on the bedroll, already fast asleep inside the shelter behind her. The young girl seems to have simply dropped down and gone within the same instance, judging from the awkward position of her limbs. Aloy huffs before gently spreading a blanket over Beta’s body and shutting the flap to provide her the necessary privacy, and sets out to join the rest of the squad. After the whole encounter with the Zenith, she figures she can use some drinks as well.
The bridge connecting their platform with the rest is short, but Aloy makes the most out of it, allowing herself to finally enjoy the clear water beneath it and the soothing sound of the waterfall where the stream ends. The sky is in its full might, stars scattered across the vast emptiness like snow against charcoal and she decidedly tries not to search for any sight of angry red dot among the whites, nor the thought of what comes next. When they all return to Base, they will soon have to figure out what comes next, and with the main threat defeated, everyone can continue with each on their own. The Oseram can build a thriving settlement in the middle of the desert, safe from the element. The Utaru have their Land Gods back and functioning. The Quen can revisit their faith in their Ancestors, now untainted and free from the meddling of government across the ocean. And the Tenakth, with each of their clans, may finally enjoy their lasting peace.
She will be alone again, always an anomaly in her own tribe, even more so in the West and especially after everyone has naturally regrouped with their tribes.
Aloy doesn’t know how long she stands there, but eventually something is moving within her peripheral vision and she darts her eyes around to look for the thing or person, only to be slightly surprised when she finds that it’s none other than Kotallo. He is traversing the banks some few meters from her with practiced steps, oblivious of her presence, and after only a split second of consideration, Aloy decides to let her curiosity guide her.
She has meant to surprise him, but one wrong step over a moss-covered rock sends her left foot into the water with a loud splotch and it obviously alerts the marshal’s attention.
“You’re not planning to swim at this hour, aren’t you?” Aloy tries to sound as casual as she can, adding a lopsided smile in the play. Kotallo’s face remains impassive, if not for the one raised eyebrow.
“Are you?” He counters, and she can’t help the ugly snort escaping her nostrils.
“I saw you from the bridge back there,” she confesses, wiggling her drenched foot with a frown before coming to where he’s standing, waiting. “Zo’s already on watch duty over Erend and Alva and Beta is sleeping, so I thought I’d keep an eye on the remaining squad members – you know, just in case.”
Kotallo huffs, and only then does she realize she’s been standing too close to him as the air he produces blows softly against the baby hairs on her forehead. She also only notices that he’s lacking most of his hard armor and spikes, allowing the minimal gap between them. He doesn’t seem to mind, though – smiling even, despite only the slightest.
“I think that duty shall be mine,” he says with a pointed look. Aloy rolls her eyes and brings her fists to her waist.
“I lost my footing. That happens from time to time, even for me.” She then waves a hand towards the stream. “Well, I’ve paid my sin. Are we going to just stand here and stare at the water, or am I welcome to join whatever it is that you’re planning to do?”
Kotallo squints his eyes. “And what if I say my plan was to jump over the waterfall? Are you joining that too, Commander?”
Oh, so this is how it goes. Aloy doesn’t know where all these teasing moods come from but she decides quickly enough that she likes it.
“Should I make that an order, Marshal?” She quips, tilting her head in a challenging manner. At that, Kotallo chuckles, quiet but sounding sweet all the same. She decides she likes that too.
“No swimming tonight, please,” he shakes his head and rolls his shoulders. Aloy takes it as a sign that he’s dropping the game. “I found something during my last visit here, during the same night of the full moon.” Kotallo sweeps his gaze up into the sky; only then does Aloy realize that the moon is indeed in a perfect pearly sphere. When he meets her eyes again, they’re thick with excitement she’s never seen before. “They say it only blooms under such circumstances, so I thought about…proving the theory.”
Aloy’s mouth is left agape. He cannot be… “Your plan is to collect flowers?”
“Only to see it,” Kotallo corrects in a lighter than usual tone. If anything, she’s glad that her face must’ve remained quite neutral since he doesn’t react much to it. The last thing she wants is to make him think that she’s mocking his unique interest. “Then again, I may be wrong. It’s been a while since I last went to–”
“Where?” Aloy blurts out without hesitation, staring at Kotallo demandingly. His eyes widen for a split second, seemingly as surprised, before softening and flies to a spot across them, on the other side of the riverbanks.
“There is a small cave over there that leads to an overgrown cliff face,” he says, pointing to their destination with his index finger. “I accidentally found the flower after seeing an abandoned climbing tool nearby. Apparently someone was trying to collect the bloom from the other side. The hard way.“
Aloy throws him a lazy smile. “I take it you found the easy way?” she comments. Kotallo’s response comes through a smug grin, causing her to chuckle. “You know, if you want to be sure, we can simply scan the area first,” she adds, hands already flying to where her Focus sits.
“And where’s the fun in that?” Kotallo tilts his head to one side, feigning a frown, and Aloy drops her hand accordingly with a huff.
“Lead the way then, Marshal.”
The short trip to the said cave is mostly uneventful, though after crossing the stream with an effort to remain dry, she is plagued with nostalgia. Aloy has crossed many similar rivers before, sometimes in one of her training routines, but others were to simply explore the edges of the Sacred Lands. She’s always enjoyed the latter, falling several steps behind Rost with no urgency other than going on a small adventure. The memory leaves a tender feeling in her heart and despite her best effort, she cannot help the thought that this may be another last chance for her to do…all of this. Casual adventure, camping out, riding machines – with her squad. Soon they will all return to their respective tribes, and although she can fill the days with bonding with Beta, Aloy knows that, for maybe the first time in her life, she will miss her friends.
One, in particular. One that’s currently traversing a downhill of protruding roots and more mossy rocks with practiced steps, opening a safe way for her to follow. One whose quiet presence at the Base has eased her through the comfort of talking her heart’s content. The game room will be empty. No more conversations on chocolate frostings and seashells. And whatever will happen to those carefully arranged Strike pieces?
“Aloy, look.”
Kotallo’s voice breaks her reverie, and she’s welcomed by the sight of him looking over his shoulder with a wide grin. “It’s here,” he says, just above a whisper and her brain goes blank.
The moonlight casts over his profile in just the right amount and at just the right angle that it looks like he may as well radiate it. And again, that smile. The best, and possibly worst distraction that even his beckoning hand cannot force her limbs to move despite the odd footings she’s currently at. Aren’t they meant to see a rare flower? She isn’t sure anymore. Is she making a weird face from the mix of awestruck and the attempt to keep her balance? Aloy doesn’t care. She wants the time to be suspended just like this. She wants–
“Come.”
There is a soft touch at her wrist and something warm and gentle then circling her left hand, tugging. She manages to hold back a gasp before following the lead and doesn't even dare to look anywhere else until the very last moment when specks of yellow come to her peripheral vision.
“Oh,” is all she can currently say upon seeing the reward for their hunt, scattered across the mouth of the said cave, calf-length stems all in similar height with two to three blooms on each one. They sway gently against the night wind like a yellow blanket against the rocks, with the stream behind them adding the perfect lullaby for the magical moment.
And for once in maybe a lifetime, Aloy doesn’t get any urge to use her Focus. Knowing the name of the flower can be useful, if not to find other areas where and when they next bloom, but it doesn’t matter. If this is to be their last trip as a squad together, she will take it just as it is, knowledge be damned. The flower is beautiful as it is, no matter the name, and she wants to savor the serene moment…
…and the fact that her hand is still in Kotallo’s, safe and warm.
By Goddesses , she can feel her heartbeat in her ears, thumping loudly and almost drowning the already muted sound of the night creatures. She should release the hold, there’s no more logical reason to keep it there now that she’s on solid ground instead of mossy rocks – but why should she? Kotallo could’ve done the same and yet he doesn’t. One careful glance has Aloy noticing that his gaze is fixed on the flowers, but his jaws and overall feature are rather tense. His hand is loose enough for her to slip away and it feels like both an invitation and a challenge.
A particularly strong breeze suddenly hits her and Aloy shifts her weight to another foot, shivering slightly. The miniscule movement causes her hand to be pulled to the opposite direction, and when she feels Kotallo’s grip loosen even more, her instinct springs into action. Aloy grasps his hand firmly, almost desperately, and it’s enough to snap his attention to the point of contact. She watches in anxious anticipation as he stares at their joined hand, heart in her throat, holding her breath. Kotallo blinks, those beautiful lashes fanning, and then he sucks in air through his nose, chest expanding, before finally dragging his gaze up to meet hers.
The urge to look away is stronger than ever, but Aloy persists. There were far too many moments where she thought she knew what those eyes truly conveyed, when she was almost sure that there was something more than the way they pierced right into her soul, like he really knew her, how it created blank spots in her head whenever they softened for her, only for her. This curiosity might kill her – the edge of the waterfall is merely a few steps westward should she need that quick escape – but just like in other matters, she decides to act first and think (better) later. Besides, something tells her that she has to make the first move in this, as Kotallo may be too respectful to assume anything.
She tugs at his hand, faintly at first, before going straight to pulling it. Time slows as Kotallo’s own silent anticipation breaks into a lopsided smile and he follows dutifully, closing the gap. His eyes droop, and he looks impossibly sweet like that, towering above her chest to chest and soft altogether, until the wait has Aloy dying and she brings her free hand to grab at his nape and finally, finally seals their lips.
She kisses his smile, her own comes not far behind and he kisses that too, light at first before affirming it with a deeper one. The world ceases to exist as Aloy’s senses rallies to him at the cost of her sight. His warmth under her palms, his nose digging into her cheek, the scent of his paint, the breathy hum he makes, and it’s not enough. She pushes up to her tiptoes and Kotallo’s hand immediately flies up to steady them both, leaning down while cupping her jaws to keep her in place, where she belongs. Fireworks, she thinks, naming the feeling in her chest and the way her blood rushes through her body. It may as well be hours until they parted for breath, though only to retain the closeness through their joined foreheads. His hand has found purchase at the juncture of her neck and shoulder, while hers on his waist, at the exposed skin there.
“Aloy,” Kotallo breathes, the sound is music to her ears, threatening a smile. “I must know,” he pauses for a beat, seemingly uncharacteristically unsure. “I dare assume that this is no fleeting feeling for you. Mine is not, but…tell me if I’m wrong.”
“You’re not,” Aloy whispers back, shutting her eyes even more tightly as if to reaffirm her words. Kotallo huffs, though it feels more like a sigh than otherwise.
“I must return to the Grove,” he says after a pause, his voice thick with regret. “To the Chief. To my marshal duties.”
“I know.”
“But I meant what I said of you and your cause. And I shall remain so until my end comes, or until you dismiss me.”
“Never,” she shakes her head gently, echoing the same vow in her heart. Aloy then begrudgingly pulls her head away if only for a short distance to allow her to look into his face. “Kotallo, I– I know. I know that you’d have to leave eventually, and it’s fine. I’m– I think I can handle that.” Goddesses, her chest hurts. Not in a bad way, but more like there’s so many words, so many feelings pooling behind her ribs and bottled by her airways, overlapping one another in a race to burst out in intangible blabbering. She forces herself to take a deep breath, though with his proximity it doesn’t quite make the attempt any easier. Not only that, Kotallo’s face has turned to a frown. Somehow, it gives her some strength to push through.
“What I meant to say is – what I want,” she steadies her voice and puts a reassuring, despite shaky, hand against his cheek, “...is for you to stay in my life. Not just as my spear or-or my comrade, but my…my…” Everything, she wants to scream. Just be mine– “And I’ll be the same for you. If you wish me to.”
Aloy hasn’t expected for tonight to turn into another moment of talking her heart’s content. Hell, she was about to get a drink, which then turned into a hunt for a rare flower, and now to this, only preceded by one of the best moments in her life. It’s bizarre to think about, but maybe it’s something they’ve been withholding for long enough that the universe just has to intervene at this very time. Time which she’s about to curse for making her wait while Kotallo deals with his own thoughts.
But then he smiles, the curve slowly rising until it crinkles the corners of his eyes, and although his answer hasn’t come just yet, Aloy can finally release the breath she doesn’t realize she’s holding.
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” Kotallo says, and closes the distance once again. This kiss is slower, deeper, laced with a promise of a shared future. Sometimes later, much later, Aloy would learn that the flower is called Evening Primrose, and that it blooms every once or twice in every spring. She’d tell as much to him, and he’d make it a routine for them to visit the cave every such cycle.
But for now, there’s no better place to be than within his embrace, and this time they both smile into the kiss.